1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a boat body for a boat including a projecting portion arranged to support an outboard motor, and a boat constructed by installing an outboard motor on the projecting portion.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a known boat is constructed such that an outboard motor is installed on a transom board formed in a rear portion of a boat body so that the boat runs by a driving force provided by the outboard motor (see, for example, JP-A2005-212705). In this boat, two outboard motors are installed on the transom board in the rear portion of the boat body, and a well board is disposed close to the transom board such that the outboard motors come into contact with the well board when the outboard motors are tilted up. The well board includes a lower portion fixed to the boat body and an upper portion that is tiltably connected to the lower portion such that the upper portion is tilted into a position in which the outboard motors do not come into contact with the upper portion when the outboard motors are tilted up. This structure allows for an increase in the deck space usable by the crew of the boat.
However, in the conventional boat described above, the installation of an outboard motor directly on the transom board that is arranged vertically in the rear portion of the boat body causes a reduction in the distance between the transom board and the outboard motor. As a result, it is necessary to install the outboard motor at a lower position to prevent a propeller of the outboard motor from drawing air. More specifically, when the boat is running, water flow occurs such that water flows from a cutwater surface in the lower end portion of the transom board in a rearward direction along an upwardly curved path. If the distance between the transom board and the outboard motor is small, a large difference does not occur in the height of the water flow between the transom board and the outboard motor.
This causes the propeller of the outboard motor to easily draw air. To avoid this problem, it is necessary to install the outboard motor at a lower position. However, this causes a major portion of the outboard motor to be submerged, which results in an increase in water resistance and in turn results in a reduction in propulsion efficiency. It is desirable to install an electronic unit above the outboard motor such that the location of the electronic unit is as far as possible from the water surface to protect the electronic unit from water. However, in the conventional boat described above, it is difficult to install the electronic unit in such a manner.